A smart card is an electronic device typically including a microprocessor unit and a memory suitable for encapsulation within a small flexible plastic card, for example, one that is about the size of a credit card. The smart card additionally includes some form of interface for communicating with an external device or system. The applications for such smart cards include the transfer of a variety of information. Example applications include information relative to banking, transportation, subscriber, health, and identification.
Recently, the increased availability of smart cards coupled with consumers' desire to receive anytime, anywhere access to financial information, e-commerce goods and services and instant electronic cash is creating a strong interest in the coupling of smart cards with wireless subscriber units. Consolidating products, for example having wireless functionality along with smart card intelligence in one product, creates an effective and efficient way for consumers to manage their business and personal lives.
Multiple application capability is seen as the key to widespread adoption of smart cards integrated into wireless subscriber units. Today's technology allows smart cards to share the ability to interface with a wireless subscriber unit and send and receive file sharing data from the wireless subscriber unit. This makes a common interface possible. However, each of the smart cards may have its own specific set of intelligence. For example, the category of data, the communication protocol of the data, and size of the data packets from one smart card may differ greatly from that of another smart card. The data for an electronic commerce smart card may include communication through a decryption process and receipt of message on a secure channel; whereas the data for a sports service smart card may not.
One drawback of today's wireless subscriber units having the capability of interfacing with smart cards is the inability to manage separately the various sets of intelligence of multiple smart card applications. Today, when a wireless subscriber unit interfaces with a first smart card, it stores that first data in memory. Then, when the wireless subscriber unit interfaces with a second smart card, it may override the data stored from the first smart card application with the data from the second smart card application, thus making it difficult to manage multiple smart card applications. For example, sports scores overriding a checkbook balance would not be acceptable to a consumer.
Thus, what is needed is an efficient method of management of data and information downloaded from multiple smart cards to an individual wireless subscriber unit.